Beck responds to Amazon workplace safety case

INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Lisa Beck (D-Lakes of the Four Seasons), ranking Democrat on the Indiana House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement regarding the state’s effort to absolve Amazon of responsibility in the death of a worker:

“Companies need to prioritize workplace safety first and be held accountable to meeting safety standards designed to protect employees and the public. We dealt with a similar issue last session when a young woman from Fort Wayne lost her life because she was placed on a dangerous machine without training. This is an issue that I will continue to work on at the Statehouse during the 2020 legislative session. I am planning to introduce legislation that would allow criminal charges, up to a Level 6 Felony, to be filed against those directing work to be done that does not meet the safety standards in our state. The allegations of a cover-up by the governor and other state officials are highly disturbing and highlight the need for greater accountability in Indiana’s workplace safety programs. We cannot have the very agency that is supposed to protect workers and the public interfere with and manipulate a safety investigation.”